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Due Diligence in Data Security

Feb 8, 2021

When prospective clients come to us, they are lacking sufficient security, struggling to maintain what they do have in place, or missing a security plan entirely. We are brought in to remediate these already existing lapses in security. Unfortunately, what we see all too often, is that so many business leaders don’t understand the importance of doing their due diligence in data security.

Whether our clients oversee a B2B, B2C, or other business model, the one thing that they all have in common is data. Be it customer data, employee data, or proprietary data, it all necessitates a certain level of responsibility in its management and security.

There have, however, been numerous cases in recent history where we have seen organizations fail to implement the appropriate security to protect their own data, leading to massive breaches.

In our previous blog, we took a deeper look at the Marriott International data breach that resulted in extensive dwell time from a failure in threat detection and prevention methods and how our Security Service Bundle works to mitigate such failures for our clients. Today, we want to highlight a different breach – one that occurred from a direct lack of proactive data security management.

This case occurred in 2017 when credit-reporting giant, Equifax, admitted to its systems falling victim to hackers, exposing the confidential information of roughly 148 million consumers. Among the compromised data were names, social security numbers, birthdates, addresses, credit card numbers, and driver’s license numbers – resulting in what is likely the most sensitive data breach in history.

Understanding the Consequences of Neglecting Vulnerabilities

For storing such an immense amount of highly delicate information, Equifax was inappropriately negligent with their vulnerability management and incident response. The hackers exploited a vulnerability in Equifax’s system through the Apache Struts web-application software. Web applications can pose a serious threat to organizational security. In this situation, Equifax failed to patch a vulnerability disclosed months before in the open source web server. Once the attackers discovered the neglected vulnerability, it was all too easy for them to roam throughout the company’s systems.

The reality is that had Equifax done their due diligence in data security, this enormous breach could have been avoided. With thousands of new vulnerabilities being discovered every year, continual discovery and remediation is imperative to maintaining a secure environment.

Heightened Security Posture with DYOPATH’S Security Service Bundle

This is exactly where DYOPATH comes in. It is our responsibility to ensure that we are doing our due diligence in respect to our clients’ data security. With our integrated Security Service Bundle that includes enterprise-grade technology, rapid crisis management, and highly skilled security experts for an immediate response, we are able to heighten our clients’ security posture to safeguard against vulnerabilities and respond quickly to threats.

Our Security Service Bundle includes:

  • Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
  • Endpoint Detection and Response
  • Advanced Malware Protection
  • Security Operations Center as a Service (SOC)
  • Vulnerability Management
  • Incident Response

While true network security is not achieved through single point products, but a comprehensive combination of proactive and reactive solutions, there are two important elements of our Security Service Bundle that would have been essential in addressing a situation such as the Equifax breach: vulnerability management and incident response.

Vulnerability Management

Vulnerability management is the ongoing process of identifying, classifying, prioritizing, mitigating, and resolving vulnerabilities in operating systems, cloud and on-premises applications, browsers, and end-user applications. At DYOPATH, our experts provide consistent patching of operating systems and applications along with reconfiguring security settings. But more importantly, we keep security threats at bay with proactive vulnerability management, seeking out and mitigating threats before they can gain access.

Incident Response

Once a vulnerability has been compromised, it becomes an incident. Incident response involves the process of managing the incident to limit damage and costs and optimize recovery time to as minimal as possible. We work one on one with our clients to develop a strong incident response plan to provide a clear, directed process to follow when an incident occurs.

Flexible Security to Mitigate Risk and Damage

We can see from the Equifax breach the chaos that ensues when organizations don’t invest in these vital elements. We find it important to educate our prospective clients, highlighting examples such as this to drive home the significance of doing their due diligence in data security. Outsourcing these services to a Managed Service Provider like DYOPATH is the key to developing an expert security plan with flawless execution. This also helps our clients to save time that is otherwise occupied juggling the management of their IT while running their business as well as saving on operational expenses.

Our Security Service Bundle provides the comprehensive coverage that organizations need. Whether our clients are a small to mid-size organization, an educational or government institution, or a Fortune 500 corporation, our services, and security experts have the breadth of protection and knowledge needed to secure these IT environments.

Learn more about DYOPATH and our Managed Security Services by talking to one of our experts today.